The English page: Racing & Breeding in Germany 6
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A strong card last Sunday at Cologne saw a big race double for owner-breeder Stall Ullmann, their trainer Jean-Pierre Carvalho and stable jockey Filip Minarik, as well as two very promising three-year-old performances.
The main feature was the Group Two Gerling-Preis over a mile and a half, the oldest sponsored race in the German calendar and the first opportunity for Germany's top older horses over the classic distance to show how they had come through the winter. It was generally seen as a match between the Ullmann four-year-old Guardini (Dalakhani) and the older course specialist Earl of Tinsdal (Black Sam Bellamy), who started joint favourites at 17-10. But while the latter - who looked badly in need of the race- never really go into it, the former ran out a convincing winner from Girolamo (Dai Jin), who had won this race in 2013, and Eric (Tertullian), who made up eye-catching ground in the straight.
The complete race video, photos and full result here (under "Renndetails"/Guardini/No. 5: Klick!
The race was run at a furious pace thanks to the penalised Sirius (Dashing Blade), who ran very freely for a mile, but there is absolutely no doubt that the winner was the best horse on the day and he looks like a horse to follow for the rest of the season. He lost his form in the second half of 2014, but was apparently suffering from an ulcer, since removed. He is the first foal of his dam, the group-placed Guantana (Dynaformer), herself the daughter of the very smart Guadalupe (Monsun), winner of the Italian Oaks (then a Group One), and one of the best fillies in Europe in 2002, when she was also runner-up to Islington in the Yorkshire Oaks and fourth in the Vermeille.
This is a family that has done extremely well for the Schlenderhan and Ullmann stables (basically now a husband-and-wife team) since the import of the Unfuwain mare Guernica, Guadalupe´s dam, twenty years ago. Guadalupe is also dam of this season´s leading three-year-old Guignol (Cape Cross) and of the four-year-old Guiliani (Tertullian), who an hour earlier had won a well-contested listed race over a mile, the main supporting feature.
The complete race video, photos and full result here (under "Renndetails"/Guiliani/No. 4: Klick!
Both Guardini and Giuliani can be expected to show further improvement this season. The latter looks well up to group race class and may well go next for the Badener Meile, while the former, who is officially French-bred, could now be aimed at the Grand Prix de Chantilly. Ivanhowe, for the same connections, ran in that event last year after winning the Gerling-Preis, and despite a disappointing effort at Chantilly, ended the season as Germany´s top four-year-old and it would be no surprise to see Guardini make the same progress. Of the eight German-trained entries for the Arc, which closed this week, four were made by Carvalho, including Guardini and Guignol.
The two three-year-old winners worthy of mention were Gestüt Röttgen´s filly Anna Katharina (Kallisto) and Stall Nizza´s Nutan (Duke of Marmalade); both of these homebreds made all the running to win with the greatest of ease. The former possibly made the greater impact as she beat a highly-rated opponent, Gestüt Wittekindshof´s Rose Rized (Authorized), whose dam Rosenreihe (Catcher in the Rye)had won the Preis der Diana. Nutan possibly had little to beat; he started at 10-1 on, having run the above-mentioned Guignol to a neck on his only previous start.
The complete race video, photos and full result here (under "Renndetails"/Anna Katharina/No. 1: Klick!
The complete race video, photos and full result here (under "Renndetails"/Nutan/No. 1: Klick!
Anna Katharina is a member of one of Röttgen´s very best families; she is the fourth foal of her dam Anna Desta (Desert Style), who never ran but was a half-sister to numerous useful performers, including Group Two winner Aspectus (Spectrum). The next dam Anna Thea (Turfkönig) was a group race winner, while her own dam Anständige (Star Appeal) was a half-sister to the extremely influential Anna Paola (Prince Ippi), ancestress of a whole heap of Group One performers , including Australian champions - and now sires- Helmet and Epaulette, as well as Willie Mullins´ wonderful racemare Annie Power. Anna Paola won the Preis der Diana in 1981, and that race is the obvious target for Anna Katharina.
Nutan is the third foal out of the Peintre Celebre mare Neele, whose first was the Grosser Preis von Berlin winner Nymphea (Dylan Thomas). The second dam Night Teeny (Platini) is a half-sister to Night Petticoat (Petoski), who also won the Preis der Diana, who threw another winner of that race in Next Gina (Perugino) as well as German Derby winner Next Desert (Desert Style). Obviously there is classic potential here as well, and trainer Peter Schiergen immediately nominated the top trial for the German Derby, the Union-Rennen, as Nutan´s next race.
This coming weekend´s big race is another major trial for the IDEE 146. Deutsches Derby, the Bavarian Classic over ten furlongs. As the name implies, this race should be run at Munich – the capital of Bavaria- but in fact it will be run on Sunday at Hanover owing to a clash of events in Munich. There are expected to be six runners, with Gestüt Fahrhof´s Quasillo (Sea The Stars), an impressive winner at Munich on his debut despite running very green, the likely hot favourite. He is currently joint-favourite for the Deutsches Derby itself (to be run at Hamburg on July 5th) and will most likely be at odds-on here. Frau Gabriele Gaul´s homebred Eastsite One (Mamool) was well beaten behind Quasillo, but could well be the main danger, as his trainer Christian von der Recke is now in great form and has already produced a surprise winner of a top Derby trial. Eastsite One is a half-brother to last year´s Derby fourth Eric (Tertullian), who ran such a good race when third to Guardini at Cologne on Sunday.
